London, UK – October 30th 2017 – NetScientific plc (“NetScientific”, AIM:NSCI), the transatlantic healthcare IP commercialisation group, notes the announcement by portfolio company ProAxsis, that it will be presenting further data on its ProteaseTag® technology in two poster sessions at the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference, which takes place between November 1st – 5th in Indianapolis. The first paper, concerning sputum storage, enables an increase in flexibility for transporting patient samples from trial site to lab. The second paper, which analyses exhaled breath condensate, increases the range of potential research applications for ProAxsis’ CE marked NE Immunoassay. Both papers facilitate a greater scope of research applications for ProAxsis’ NE Immunoassay.
Commenting on the news, Francois Martelet, Chief Executive Officer of NetScientific and Chairman of ProAxsis, said: “We are delighted that ProAxsis’ ProteaseTag® technology is increasingly utilised in high-impact respiratory health research, indicating its potential to become a leader in the field. The findings presented at the highly regarded NACF Conference, demonstrate the clinical relevance of ProAxsis technology in cystic fibrosis and will support its move into its commercialisation phase.”
NetScientific holds a 57% stake on a fully diluted basis in ProAxsis.
The full text of the announcement from ProAxsis can be found below.
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For more information, please contact:
NetScientific
François R. Martelet, M.D., CEO
Ian Postlethwaite, CFO
Tel: +44 (0)20 3514 1800
Consilium Strategic Communications
Mary-Jane Elliott / Jessica Hodgson /
Chris Welsh / Laura Thornton
Tel: +44 (0)20 3709 5700
netscientific@consilium-comms.com
Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited (NOMAD and Broker)
Jonathan Senior / David Arch / Ben Maddison
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7710 7600
ProAxsis to Showcase ProteaseTag® abstracts at 2017 North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference Date: October 30th, 2017
ProAxsis will be presenting further data on its ProteaseTag® technology, at the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference, which takes place between November 1st – 5th in Indianapolis. Dr Charlene Robb will be presenting a poster entitled “Do sputum storage conditions impact on the quantification of active neutrophil elastase, interleukin-8, interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor-α?” on Thursday November 2nd between 11.15am and 1.45pm (Poster Number 288).
In addition, the team at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, one of the largest CF expert centres in Europe, will be presenting the first data on the use of the ProteaseTag® Active NE Immunoassay to measure active neutrophil elastase in exhaled breath condensate:
Active Neutrophil Elastase can be detected in Exhaled Breath Condensate in patients with Cystic Fibrosis
C74-ADVANCES IN TRANSLATIONAL COPD
Thematic Poster Session
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017
9:15 AM – 4:15 PM
Jane Davies, Professor in Paediatric Respirology & Experimental Medicine at the National Heart and Lung Institute and an Honorary Consultant in Paediatric Respiratory Medicine at the Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, said ”To our knowledge this is the first study to report NE in EBC in CF patients; whilst the method requires further optimisation, we believe this could be a promising avenue for monitoring of patients at early stages of disease, such as children.”
Dr David Ribeiro, CEO of ProAxsis, said: “This is the 31st annual NACF Conference, which brings together scientists, clinicians and caregivers from around the world to discuss and share ideas on the latest advances in CF research. The work by Dr Robb and colleagues provides further data for researchers conducting clinical trials worldwide who need to collect, transport and analyse sputum samples for inflammatory biomarkers such as active neutrophil elastase. The 19-patient study conducted at the Royal Brompton Hospital opens up the possibility of utilising the ProAxsis technology for airway monitoring in patients unable to expectorate sputum. We believe these latest findings on our ProteaseTag® technology will be of great interest to the CF community. ”
To find out how ProAxsis can support the measurement of active protease biomarkers of disease, or for any further queries, please contact info@proaxsis.com.
About NetScientific
NetScientific is a transatlantic healthcare technology group with an investment strategy focused on sourcing, funding and commercialising technologies that significantly improve the health and well-being of people with chronic diseases. For more information, please visit the website at www.netscientific.net
About ProAxsis Limited:
ProAxsis is developing a range of products for the capture, detection and measurement of active protease biomarkers of diseases. Its first immunoassay measures active neutrophil elastase, a leading indicator of infection and inflammation in patients with Cystic Fibrosis (CF), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and bronchiectasis, and an important drug target. A rapid point-of-care test for measuring neutrophil elastase, called NEATstik®, was registered with a CE Mark in September 2017. The laboratory-based immunoassays and point-of-care tests being developed by ProAxsis incorporate patented ProteaseTags®; smart molecules which trap an active protease within a complex biological sample and enable a visual readout of its presence. ProteaseTags® provide a unique tool to identify and quantify active protease biomarkers and will assist in the clinical validation of new therapeutics.
ProAxsis is part of the NetScientific Group and is one of the Group’s core portfolio companies. The company is also supported by QUBIS, the commercialisation arm of Queens University.